Grey’s Anatomy: Blink

When we last saw the gang from Seattle Grace, the mid-point of Grey’s Anatomy ended with some nice little cliffhangers.  The Chief was off the wagon, Owen and Cristina appear to be back on track, McSteamy’s got a daughter, and Alex and Izzie’s marriage is on the thinnest of ice.

Mark is adjusting to his new role of father, but instead of a smiling little cherub to bounce on his knee, he must contend with a mouthy teenager.  Who’s pregnant with a baby in potential distress.  His daughter Sloan has been living with him and Lexie and the arrangement is taking some getting used to.  Despite his assertions to the contrary, Mark is in fact Sloan’s Dad, not just her father.  He gives her lunch money, coddles her unnecessarily in an effort to make up for lost time, and most tellingly: intervenes during her pre-natal surgery after calling Addison Shepherd in to save the day.  Sloan’s baby has amniotic bands wrapped around his developing legs and must have the tissue removed or risk losing the small limbs.  While Addison is performing the surgery she encounters a nasty bundle of blood vessels that makes it difficult to proceed.  Difficult for most surgeons is average risk for Addison, but Mark stops her.  He’s wearing his Daddy hat, not his Doctor one, and it shows.  Sloan ultimately decides to continue the surgery at a later date, but the medical scare brings her and Mark closer together.  She tearfully explains that she wants the surgery because her baby already has a “stupid slutty mom” and no father. He’s doesn’t need any more disadvantages, and that includes physical deformity.  In a moment of tenderness Mark tells her that she can live with him and he will help her be a mom.  That’s sweet, but he didn’t ask Lexie how she’d feel about the new living arrangement first.  Lexie understandably isn’t ready to play step-mom to a teenager and grandmother to her newborn, and Mark will choose his child over her, if pressed.  As he should.  And so their relationship ends as unceremoniously as it began.

Now comes for the WTF portion of the show.  Teddy has the hots for Owen, who is loyal to Cristina.  After confessing her feelings to him and being shot down, Teddy has tried to appear unfazed.  When she takes a tough approach with Cristina in the O.R., Owen questions whether her motives are vengeful or constructive.  It’s the latter, in case you were wondering.  But the cat’s out of the bag and Teddy admits to herself that it’s difficult to work with Owen and mentor Cristina under the circumstances.  She decides to leave Seattle Grace, and when Owen relays the info to Cristina, she chases Teddy down and babbles about giving her anything she wants so she’ll stay.  She’s spazzing out in tears, saying how if Teddy leaves she’ll die because Teddy believes in Cristina more than she believes in herself.  Boy, these Seattle Grace doctors are some real emotional basketcases! Spare me, Cristina! You’re crying because Teddy is leaving, really?? This is the woman who holds a burning flame for the man that you love, and you’re CRYING because she’s gonna leave? Cristina then inexplicably tells Teddy she can have Owen if she stays.  This is wrong on so many levels.  First of all, Owen is a human being and can not be bartered away.  Secondly, he actually tolerates Cristina. I don’t know if he got any medals for his time in Iraq, but maybe he can get one for that.  Lastly, Cristina is surrounded by several gifted surgeons, all of whom are more familiar with her than Teddy, yet she is the only one who “believes” in Cristina? Gimme a break.  If Shepherd is McDreamy, then we ought to dub Cristina “McDrama,” because she’s full of it. She doesn’t deserve Owen.

Oh but wait, there is a second part of the WTF portion of the show.  Alex understandably is done with Izzie’s crap.  Lexie is newly single…so yeah….they hooked up. *sigh*  I don’t know where this storyline is headed, but I don’t like it. Lexie is too much of a sweetheart to randomly sleep around with other docs at Seattle Grace, and even grisly Alex is too vulnerable for this right now.  I hope this ends up being a mistake that isn’t revisited.  Speaking of mistakes, Mark hooks up with Addison when he and Sloan go for her baby’s surgery.  Grey’s Anatomy and Private Practice had crossover episodes last Thursday, and that’s what the Private Practice episode revealed.  I guess everyone needs to f*ck their pain away.  Neither Mark nor Lexie wasted any time bedding someone else.  I don’t want the show to devolve into a game of “musical beds,” because I think it’s too smart to be a second rate soap opera.  Hopefully Shonda Rhimes won’t let that happen.

For another take on this episode, check out Welcome Back by Allison Toner.

Season 6, Episodes 11: Blink (originally aired January 14, 2010)

For more Grey’s Anatomy, click here.

Thursdays 9/8c on ABC

Photographs courtesy of ABC, Adam Taylor, and Ron Tom